


Every Good Beta Does Fine

by zoemathemata



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Gen, Not Canon Compliant, Pack Dynamics, Pre-Slash, Slash Goggles
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-09-10
Updated: 2012-09-10
Packaged: 2017-11-13 22:31:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,474
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/508422
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zoemathemata/pseuds/zoemathemata
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <i>The insecure pack leader is born of a wolf, or possibly domesticated dog, that is unprepared or unwilling to be pack leader. In situations where no true pack leader exists, one of the other pack members may assume leadership but it’s not a true alpha dynamic. Insecure pack leaders tend to be anxious; asserting their dominance through fear and aggression instead of through the installation of respect and obedience. The animal cannot abide the void left in the absence of a true pack leader and so, takes on that mantle. However, they are generally ill-equipped to be leaders and tend to be somewhat combative and impetuous. This can usually be seen in the manner in which they manage their pack and how they attract and deal with outsiders</i>
</p>
<p>If that doesn't describe Derek Hale, Chris Argent doesn't know what does</p>
            </blockquote>





	Every Good Beta Does Fine

**Author's Note:**

> I haven't seen all of TW Season 1 and 2 yet, so I'll call this not Canon Compliant.

Chris Argent knows wolves. 

As a hunter, he knows about a lot of supernatural creatures but wolves are his specialty. He reads anything he can get regarding wolf behavior, pack mentality, dynamics, socialization. He watches movies, documentaries, keeps up with scientific journals. 

To be a predator, you have to understand your prey. 

He feels a certain… admiration for the werewolf. Half human, half animal - seemingly torn between two words all the time. 

Unlike some hunters, he has no love of killing. He kills when it’s necessary; when The Code dictates it. He takes no joy or pleasure in it. It’s a service that must be done and if he wants to ensure it’s done correctly, he does it himself. 

When he finds out one of the Hales has returned to Beacon Hills, he’s interested. He moves his family there so he can find out more, study the situation. Any wolf pack that suffered the loss that the Hales did… well, it’s a rarity for certain. 

Then Laura Hale’s body is found. And Derek Hale returns to Beacon Hills as well. 

He knows from other hunter’s interactions with the Hales that Laura was the Alpha after their parents died, Derek her Beta. With her death, he’s little more than an Omega now. Chris supposes Derek technically still has a pack mate in Peter Hale but with Peter in a long term care facility, catatonic and unresponsive…. 

Sadly, yes. Little more than an Omega. 

When the attacks start happening. Chris isn’t sure what to make of it. He’s been keeping his eye on Derek and he knows Derek’s not responsible and also, isn’t an Alpha. So he’s got his hands full trying to track down the real killer. 

And then suddenly, Derek is the Alpha. 

But there's something… off about him. He’s not like any Alpha Chris has seen or read about before. Chris meets Derek, gets to know him, sets up a sort of _truce_ with him and something… something is not quite right. 

Derek turns some pack members quickly. Too quickly. While Chris has never seen him attack anyone, he’s aggressive at times. Posturing. Hostile. 

Chris goes over the material he has on wolves and pack dynamics but doesn’t find what he’s looking for. 

Until one day he does. 

He’s watching a documentary on the National Geographic Channel on wolves, wolf packs and the domesticated canine when he sees what he’s been missing. 

_”The insecure pack leader is born of a wolf, or possibly domesticated dog, that is unprepared or unwilling to be pack leader. In situations where no true pack leader exists, one of the other pack members may assume leadership but it’s not a true alpha dynamic. Insecure pack leaders tend to be anxious; asserting their dominance through fear and aggression instead of through the installation of respect and obedience. The animal cannot abide the void left in the absence of a true pack leader and so, takes on that mantle. However, they are generally ill-equipped to be leaders and tend to be somewhat combative and impetuous. This can usually be seen in the manner in which they manage their pack and how they attract and deal with outsiders.”_

If that doesn’t describe Derek Hale and his band of misfit wolves, Chris Argent doesn’t know what does. It certainly explains the way Derek grew his pack - choosing younger, more insecure members - members he could easily dominate or keep in line. Outsiders who would cling to a feeling of pack, of belonging. 

_”In the case of an insecure pack leader, should another Alpha, a true Alpha, arrive and assert their dominance, the insecure pack leader would likely struggle for control initially but would eventually happily relinquish it and return to their Beta or even Omega status.”_

Chris watches the rest of the documentary, enraptured at how well the description fits what he sees in Beacon Hills. 

The question is: what to do about it. 

***

The more Chris thinks about it, the more it makes sense. Derek Hale spent his entire life watching his _sister_ be groomed for the Alpha leadership. His mother was a strong Alpha in her own right and while Derek likely saw or was present for some of the lessons, he probably never thought he’d have any use for them.

He was a Beta. 

Until, by luck or tragedy or both, he wasn’t anymore. 

He was Alpha. Whether he wanted it or not. 

Derek Hale may seem like a man to the high-schoolers of Beacon Hills, but to Chris Argent, he’s still just a boy. The high-schoolers idolize and fear him - his attitude, his good looks, his troubled past. But Chris Argent now sees him as boy pretending to be a grown-up - trying desperately hard to keep it all together until Mom and Dad come home. 

But Mom and Dad aren’t coming home. Not for Derek. 

Chris isn’t a bad man. He’s not evil or vindictive. Not like Gerard. Not like Kate. He’s still pained and troubled by his own family. He doesn't’ want to hurt Derek or his little pack of wolflings (for truly, he cannot even think of them entirely as wolves. They are cubs at best). 

But neither is he a pushover nor an insecure man. 

So when he sees an opportunity to put his knowledge to use, he uses it. 

It happens when a band of goblins infiltrates Beacon Hills. Allison tentatively comes to his study one night and asks if he’ll agree to a meeting with Derek Hale. 

Now that he knows what he’s dealing with, it’s so obvious to him - how Derek sends Chris’ daughter _his daughter_ with an invitation, too afraid of being rejected himself. 

He agrees. 

He even agrees to meet at a place of Derek’s choosing which is how he finds himself at the old Hale house - it’s broken shell starting to be shorn up with new construction. There’s a mish-mash of old furniture and rag-tag appliances inside. The kitchen is clearly the hub and Derek has to shoo out some of his younger wolves (Isaac, Erica) when Chris arrives. 

The entire thing screams ‘Lost Boys and the Neverland Forest’ to Chris, but he keeps his face calm and impassive and thanks Derek for inviting him. 

Derek is all aggression and sharp movements and Chris thinks he even sees teeth flashed his way at one point. Derek goes over his plan to rid the area of goblins, detailing what his wolves will do (and he makes sure to always use the term ‘my wolves’ as though Chris could or would forget who they belonged to) and then goes so far as to instruct Chris to what his role will be. 

Chris looks over the plans Derek’s spread out in front of him, perusing them carefully, going over the details in his mind. Or rather, he makes an act of doing that while he studies Derek out of the side of his eyes. 

Derek is tense, posture ramrod straight, eyes downcast, seemingly looking at the plans himself but Chris doesn’t have to be a werewolf himself to feel the anxiety pouring off him. 

Chris straightens and Derek mirrors his posture. Taking his posture cues _from Chris_.

Chris looks him in the eye and Derek looks back, face seemingly blank. 

And then he looks away, pushing at something at the table and then snaps his eyes back quickly, jaw tightening. 

He _broke eye contact_ with Chris. Chris is betting right now, he’s just realized what he’s done and is hoping, praying Chris doesn’t notice. 

But unlike Derek Hale, Chris Argent isn’t insecure. He’s not a boy playing at a man’s game, in a man’s world. He’s got his years of experience and training behind him and even without that, he’s always just known his place in the world. 

And he’s a patient man. 

You have to be when you’re a hunter. You have to be patient and calm - able to lure your prey in with only the stillness of yourself. 

He nods thoughtfully and then smiles. 

“Sounds like a sound plan, Derek. Thank you for including me.”

Derek nods curtly, shoulders relaxing slightly as he looks back down at the table and starts collecting his plans and printouts. 

Chris Argent takes one more gamble for the night. 

He reaches out and clasps Derek on the shoulder. Derek freezes under his touch for a moment and then relaxes a bit more. Chris gives Derek’s shoulder a firm squeeze and Derek’s eyes flicker upward toward Chris for a moment and then, reflexively, flicker back down. 

Submissive, whether Derek realizes it or not. 

The Alpha of a relationship always touches first and Chris has just claimed his status. 

And it’s been accepted. 

“I think we’ll be just fine.”

Derek Hale may be the Alpha of his wolfings, but Chris Argent is now Alpha of Beacon Hills.

**Author's Note:**

> NB - I don't think Chris is a bad guy! I hope it doesn't come across that way. But he is a hunter and he does want to do his job. I hope it didn't come across as creepy. 
> 
> okay, maybe a little creepy ;)
> 
> In my head, I totally see this as the start of a weird kind of daddy-dynamic relationship with Chris and Derek. 
> 
> Totally unbeta'd. Written in about an hour. Had to get it out of my system so I could work on other stuff!


End file.
